


Not Your Average Priestess

by ShatteredRhapsody



Series: Not Your Average Priestess [5]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Eventual Relationships, F/M, Friendship, Love Triangles, Sequel, Slow Burn, Two love-blind idiots walk into a room, no beta we post like illiterates, no summary we're going in blind
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-12-25 18:07:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18266672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShatteredRhapsody/pseuds/ShatteredRhapsody





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SyntheticEuphoria](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SyntheticEuphoria/gifts).



Kagome had spent a month with Sesshōmaru in the Western Lands and thrived. Many of the surrounding Nobles were unsurprisingly stunned at the company the Inu daiyōkai chose to keep within his castle; a Miko that was nearly as strong as he was tended to be a cause for concern, but neither of them paid it any mind.

She was still receiving missives from suitors that were either brave or dumb enough to approach the front gate to come calling on her. The joy of staying with such a powerful demon was that most were vaporized the moment they attempted to get farther than the gate; either Sesshōmaru or she would do the vaporizing depending on who was closest at the time. Many of the servants had wagers going on when the two would mate--something that had him rolling his eyes while Kagome would erupt in a fit of giggles.

Sweet Kami, but Hell no to that idea. The two had grown closer, yes, but that was due to the respect and companionable silence they shared during her stay. They were never too far away from each other even in the personal wings of the castle, their rooms side-by-side facing the sprawling gardens and surrounding mountainsides.

She spent a fair amount of time in those very gardens, meditating and analyzing her growing power. She’d had suspicions about why her own power had readily surpassed even that of Kikyo when her incarnation was in her prime. Even if she had made what she supposed was the correct wish on the Shikon Jewel, wishes always came with a price regardless of how selfless the wish felt. For the Jewel to just disappear into nothing made Kagome wary as she observed her reiki’s development--it had yet to hit a plateau and that was what made her worry.

She shared her hypothesis with Sesshōmaru during dinner one night and was relieved to see that he didn’t entirely doubt her. Even he had to admit that during the history of the Jewel, it wasn’t unlikely for impossible power to occur.

However…

“It has not been hurting you has it?”

They sat together on the patio, gazes appreciating the clear night sky after the recent storm had finally cleared.

Kagome shook her head and sipped her sake.

“No, as far as I can tell. I’ve been monitoring my spiritual power during meditation and also when I’m not actively using it.”

“Most beings who held the full power of the Jewel either perished or evolved,” he stated as he thought back on the grotesque mutation of Naraku, whose tainted soul reflected in his final appearance. 

Her scent spiked with fear and he found himself pulling her closer to his side, uncaring of the sake cup she held falling to the ground. From the time just before Naraku’s demise to her present stay at his castle, he had viewed Kagome as Pack. He told himself his concern for her well-being was on the same level he viewed Rin and reluctantly Inuyasha.

His nose brushed against her ear and the fear melted away to embarrassment. Good. He’d rather her distracted than fearful since he much preferred her feeling more positive. 

Deep down, Kagome knew she would never end up as Naraku had, but fear of the unknown filled with residual doubt. Feeling the daiyōkai’s breath against her neck startled her out of her thoughts and she unwillingly shivered.

Yes, she didn’t want to pursue a relationship more than what they had now, but she was human and he gods damned attractive! Arousal curled low in her belly and the second she felt him stiffen with her scent change, she was on her feet.

“I should go to bed. It is getting late,” she said. Her eyes focused on anywhere but him for fear of what expression he was giving her now. Their usual casual flirting aside, this felt more intimate than she was willing to admit.

As much as he enjoyed teasing the Miko, Sesshōmaru knew when to back off before she started feeling overwhelmed. While she may have trusted him, she was as skittish as a doe when he was close to her. He chalked up to it being her human instincts telling her that he was still a predator.

“Good night, Kagome.”

His low growl of dismissal did awful things to her libido and filled her head with presently unwanted fantasies. Instead of replying, she opted to giving him a short bow before bolting for her room. This was something she would analyze later.

Much later.


	2. Chapter 2

It took another month before Inuyasha came to visit her.

She considered it a visit considering he was pacing outside the front gate as if debating on attempting to barge in or actually wait to be granted admittance. This was probably the most patient she had ever seen him outside of waiting for his ramen to finish heating up.

“Tch,” came the disgruntled sound of his older brother from the balcony next to hers.

She had detected the hanyou through his yōki, but she knew Sesshōmaru had probably picked up his scent the moment Inuyasha crossed the border into his lands.

“I’ll go meet him,” she said softly.

This was a conversation that was more than overdue. Having time to analyze both her feelings and her power, she came to several conclusions. The first being that she loved Inuyasha, but was no longer in love with him. Before she had been content with the quiet moments they had shared, but nothing had really progressed relationship-wise between them. Except now Kagome wanted more than content and she wasn’t entirely sure Inuyasha could give her that anymore.

As she walked past the elder of the Inu yōkai, she easily sidestepped the clawed hand that was reaching for her sleeve and shook her head. His concern and comfort could come later after she spoke with his half-brother about personal matters.

 

“Hello Inuyasha,” Kagome said with a genuine smile after the gate opened.

“Kagome I--” Inuyasha shook his head and pulled her into his arms, head bent with his nose pressed against the side of her neck.

Someone was overly paranoid today or he just really missed her. Both were likely when it came to him, but she nonetheless gently embraced him back. When he released his hold on her, she tilted her head to gesture towards one of the gardens nearest the gate and took his hand in hers.

To think that a few years ago, she would have screamed with joy at being able to hold his hand so casually like this. But that was a younger more hopeful version of herself who thought the world was in his arms. In a sense it still was; just not the world she was searching for.

Kagome’s feelings were shifting her scent in all kinds of directions, leaving Inuyasha more than confused. Out of all her emotions, he could detect a faint hint of happiness buried under shame, guilt, and sadness. None of that told him anything except exacerbate his fear that she had fallen for another stronger Inu yōkai who could actually offer her the entire world if she asked.

They sat on one of the stone benches and faced one another.

“We’re done aren’t we?”

Acceptance was such a bitter pill to swallow as Inuyasha voiced his concerns aloud. He watched her eyes fill with unshed tears; something he had gotten used to over the years but had always taken it for granted how much she truly cared.

“As romantic partners? I suppose we are. I think we’ve been done for a long time,” she said quietly and let the tears fall as he took her into his arms.

“What happened to us, Kagome?” He asked, his voice as broken as his heart. “I know it took me a long time to return your feelings but…” he trailed off as her hands gripped the beads of subjugation and removed them. “ _Why?”_

She removed herself from his embrace, his necklace settled on her lap.

“It took me a long time to realize we both took too long reciprocating how each other felt. Inuyasha,” she wiped her eyes with her sleeve, “you were my first love and you’re my best friend. You will always hold a place in my heart, but it doesn’t beat for you anymore.”

A low, keening whine unwillingly left him and he hastily covered it with a low growl that rumbled quietly like a fading thunderstorm.

“I hate when Sango is right,” he sighed. At her questioning stare, he explained. “I talked to her after you had left. Well, after I had remodeled some of the forest. She said that you wouldn’t wait forever and I guess...I guess you got tired of waiting, yeah?”

She blinked once. Twice.

Either her senses were fooling her or her intuition picked up a faint hint of relief in his tone. A younger her would have been shocked and outraged at how he was handling this break-up, but the present day her understood.

“A little bit. Living in the shadow of my incarnation is Hell on the self-esteem,” she replied with a watery grin.

He managed to grin right back at her, his canines flashing momentarily before his lips pursed in a scowl.

“Growing up sucks.”

His comment startled a sharp laugh out of her, relief flooding her while the sadness rippled around her heart.

“Ugh. Tell me about it.”

She leaned against his side, chin resting on his shoulder while his arm wrapped around her waist. The two of them sat quietly for a time, unsure of what was left to be said or done until Inuyasha brushed his lips against her temple.

“I love you, Kagome.”

“I love you too, Inuyasha.”


	3. Chapter 3

Sesshōmaru watched the sentimental exchange between his guest and his half-brother from his balcony, his heightened hearing picking up the conversation as the visit came to an end. Kagome had explained to Inuyasha her theory about the Jewel and he was taking it rather well.

 

_“I bet the nobles are having a shit-fit over letting an overpowered Miko stay in their lands.”_

_“You have no idea. Your brother doesn’t seem to mind, though.”_

_“Considering your reiki is nearly on par with his yōki, it makes you a valuable ally and Pack member.”_

_“Wait, you can sense that?”_

_“What, you can’t?”_

_“Dumb dog.”_

_“Senseless bitch.”_

_The two stared at each other before an impromptu slap fight broke out, followed by a soft crack of a whip that had Inuyasha yelping. Kagome’s reiki coiled itself like a snake around her arm and disappeared into her sleeve._

_“Keh,” Inuyasha scoffed and then pulled her in for another hug. “I won’t have to worry about you getting hurt since you can actually defend yourself now.”_

_“I already miss sitting you.”_

 

“It’s like watching two puppies romp around in the yard and making a mess,” Jaken grumbled from the patio.

The old retainer cackled when the pair in question sneezed simultaneously.


End file.
